ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE

The report finds a chronic underinvestment in energy access across high-impact countries, with actual finance for residential electricity in 2018 (USD 16.1 billion) reaching less than half of the required annual investment (USD 41 billion). It highlights a concerning trend of increasing fossil fuel finance, particularly in Bangladesh, while financing for grid-connected renewables declined for the first time since 2013. Clean cooking finance remains critically low at USD 131.5 million, far below the estimated USD 4.5 billion needed annually. The report emphasizes that investment is disproportionately concentrated in a few countries, leaving many Sub-Saharan African nations with minimal support. It advocates for policy reforms, the termination of fossil fuel financing, and a more rigorous methodological framework for tracking gender-focused energy finance.

• Annual investment for universal residential electrification in high-impact countries (HICs) is estimated at USD 41 billion, but only USD 16.1 billion was tracked in 2018.
• Finance for clean cooking in HICs reached USD 131.5 million in 2018, which is substantially below the estimated annual requirement of USD 4.5 billion for Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia.
• Fossil fuel electricity finance in HICs increased significantly in 2018, reaching USD 21.7 billion, while grid-connected renewable energy finance fell to USD 18.0 billion from USD 21.9 billion in 2017.
• Investment is heavily concentrated in a few countries; Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Tanzania received 88 percent of total electricity finance commitments in 2018.
• Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is severely underfunded, receiving only USD 3.3 billion in 2018, which is less than 20 percent of its estimated annual requirement of USD 20.4 billion for universal household electricity access.
• Bangladesh was the primary destination for clean cooking finance in 2018, accounting for 47 percent of total tracked investment and 78 percent of all public finance.
• Investment in off-grid and mini-grid solutions remains very low, totaling USD 460 million in 2018, representing only 1-1.5 percent of total electricity finance.
• China was the largest international provider of electricity finance, with approximately 95 percent (USD 9 billion) of its funding supporting fossil fuel projects in HICs.
• Rwanda's success in increasing electricity access from 10 percent in 2010 to 35 percent in 2018 is attributed to robust policies, including a national electrification plan and the restructuring of energy agencies.
• Development finance for energy projects with a gender equality objective is low, representing only 9 percent of total energy sector development finance in 2018.

APA

Meattle, C., Richmond, M., Furio, V., Mazza, F., Sinha, J., Linstaedt, J., & Dreyer, C. (2020). ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SEforALL-Understanding-the-Landscape-2020-Final.pdf

Chicago

Meattle, Chavi, Morgan Richmond, Valerie Furio, Federico Mazza, Jolly Sinha, Jakub Linstaedt, and Caroline Dreyer. ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE. Climate Policy Initiative, 2020. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SEforALL-Understanding-the-Landscape-2020-Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Meattle |first1=Chavi |last2=Richmond |first2=Morgan |last3=Furio |first3=Valerie |last4=Mazza |first4=Federico |last5=Sinha |first5=Jolly |last6=Linstaedt |first6=Jakub |last7=Dreyer |first7=Caroline |title=ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=2020 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SEforALL-Understanding-the-Landscape-2020-Final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{meattle2020energizing, author = {Meattle, Chavi and Richmond, Morgan and Furio, Valerie and Mazza, Federico and Sinha, Jolly and Linstaedt, Jakub and Dreyer, Caroline}, title = {{ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SEforALL-Understanding-the-Landscape-2020-Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }